DAILY LEADER / JULIA V. PENDLEY / The alligator measured 5 feet, 3 inches in length. After capture, the gator rests in the back of a pickup truck. The duct tape on the animal’s snout was already on it when captured. The alligator will be released in a remote, safe environment, officials said.

City workers surveying a ditch for cleanup had a bit of a surprise Monday – a 5-foot, 3-inch alligator was discovered in the shallow water and tall grass.

Roxanne Norton, with Brookhaven Animal Control, said the apparently alligator was young and did not pose a threat.

“It’s more likely to run than attack,” she said.

The ditch runs next to Mike and Ethelene Linton Starrett’s home on Avenue A in the Halbert Heights neighborhood. Her son, George Linton, said the overgrowth in the ditch is dangerous.

“Kids play in it all the time,” he said.

With the discovery of the alligator, Linton worried about those children’s safety.

Norton jumped on the gator and was assisted by several others present in removing it from the ditch. The alligator was measured and was estimated to be about four or five years old. The alligator was found with his mouth duct taped shut. Those present for the capture guessed the duct tape had only been present for a couple days because the animal appeared to be mostly healthy.

The alligator was removed and will be released in a more suitable environment.

Howard Williams (left) and Dustin Stewart remove an alligator from an overgrown ditch on Avenue A Monday.

Roxanne Norton surveys the ditch in search of the alligator.

Orlando Little pokes through the grass and water hoping to find the gator.